Mowinckel on Psalm 82

Posted on May 26, 2011 by jamesbradfordpate

In Psalm 82, the topic is God’s judgment of the unjust gods of the divine assembly.  What is the setting for these Psalms?

I looked up what Sigmund Mowinckel said on Psalm 82 in The Psalms in Israel’s Worship, and he dated the Psalm to the late monarchy, “when Israel (Judah) was for a long time under the supremacy of Assyria or Babylonia” (I:221).  In enthronement festivals such as the ones in Babylon, Mowinckel affirms, the divine assembly payed homage to the triumphant deity, and Yahweh in the Israelite festival divided the nations among the gods.  But Psalm 82 makes the divine assembly into a judgment hall, as Israel anticipates God judging the pagan gods of their oppressors.

About jamesbradfordpate

My name is James Pate. This blog is about my journey. I read books. I watch movies and TV shows. I go to church. I try to find meaning. And, when I can’t do that, I just talk about stuff that I find interesting. I have degrees in fields of religious studies. I have an M.Phil. in the History of Biblical Interpretation from Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio. I also have an M.A. in Hebrew Bible from Jewish Theological Seminary, an M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School, and a B.A. from DePauw University.
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